Opening Thoughts There are around 4,200 religions all around the world. People use religion as of means of answers, guidance, hope and many more things but, with all good there are bad things. Between every religion there is always a rivalry causing many disagreements and sometimes “religious wars”. An example would be the “Crusades”. Religion has been dated as far back as 1500 BCE. Religion brings people and countries together but, also separate people as a species. This wiki will submerge into a sea of point of views from and emotions that dated back until the beginning of their religion creation. The two religions I choose were Wicca and Buddhism because of how different they are compared to each other and their views of the world. All of my information will be cited at the end of each paragraphs. Question: What is the tolerance level of other religions compared between Wicca & Buddhism?
Buddhism
“Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of reality. Buddhist practices like meditation are means of changing yourself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path — a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood. An enlightened being sees the nature of reality absolutely clearly, just as it is, and lives fully and naturally in accordance with that vision. This is the goal of the Buddhist spiritual life, representing the end of suffering for anyone who attains it.” (https://thebuddhistcentre.com/buddhism)
Quote 1) “... King Ashoka. While a devout Buddhist himself, Asoka wrote this advice to his subjects: "The king honours both the ascetics and lay followers of all religions and he gives them gifts. But the King does not value gifts and honours as much as he values this - that there should be growth in the essentials of all religions. ” (K.N. Jayatillake, The Buddhist Attitude to Other Religions)
Analysis- I felt that this quote meant a variety of things but, from my interpretation is King Ashoka who was the emperor at that time set a standard for Buddhism religious tolerance. When he wrote this he wanted to tell people that him and the followers of Buddhism respect other religions and will not have any form of hatred towards them but, he also says that the follower of the other religion should help you grow as someone spiritually. This matters greatly because because it helped create peace throughout the religion, it home country and it worshipers. Not to say there was always peace but, there was a lot more of it compared to other religions. All around the world younger and younger generations are more accepting of LGBT, Race, Religions and more. As, I eat more and more younger people everyday I learn that they are more accepting than the older generations.
Quote 2) “Religious intolerance has its roots in exclusivity - believing that only one religion can offer salvation and that the only alternative to salvation is hell. The exclusivist can only see other religions as evil i.e. leading to hell, and thus intolerable. While the Buddha clearly taught that Nirvana can be realized only by practicing the Noble Eight-fold Path, he did not believe that the only alternative to this goal was hell.” (http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/dharmadata/fdd50.htm)
Analysis- In this quote Buddhist worshipers say that religious intolerance is not right. They say talked about Christianity and how their ideal that there is a Heaven & Hell is intolerable and wrong. This matters because this goes against their rule of growth as a human being spirituality. They do not like the fact that if you have done something wrong or against then you are forced to live in an eternity of pain and suffering. In Christianity there are two places that you either go to when die. There is Heaven or Hell. Heaven is for people who lived a “un-sinful” life and Heaven is reward and Hell is for people who have committed “sins” and are punished for eternity. Some people believe in this and some people don’t agree.
Wiccan
“Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or sunset, the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by the first light of day. It is the morning dew on the petals of a beautiful flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your skin, or the warmth of the summer sun on your face. Wicca is the fall of colorful autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow. It is light, and shadow and all that lies in between. It is the song of the birds and other creatures of the wild. It is being in the presence of Mother Earths nature and being humbled in reverence. When we are in the temple of the Lord and Lady, we are not prone to the arrogance of human technology as they touch our souls. To be a Witch is to be a healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things. If this path is yours, may you walk it with honor, light and integrity.” (http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/wicca.htm)
Quote 1) “Witchcraft, overall, is very tolerant of other religious views, and does not engage itself in criticizing the beliefs of other people, providing that their beliefs do not violate the basic tenant of "Harm None." Witches do object to religions that attempt to suppress the religious beliefs of others, or every human's right to seek spirituality in their own way. This is why there is a slight rub between Wiccans, Pagans, Witches, and some Christians.” (http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/faq.htm)
Analysis- This quote tells me that Wicca religion is a very accepting religion. They even say that they prefer not to engage themselves in hatred over other religions. They also give a reason why there is such an antagonism between Wiccan and Christianity. This matters because it shows that they have no hatred towards other religion. They also explains why they are hated so much by the christian community.This relates to the real world because there is so much hatred against the Wiccan community primarily by Christians. There are articles, videos and in some churches class on why Wicca is a bad thing and a “nuisance”.
Quote 2) “Perhaps an over simplified way of describing our view is this: Imagine a beautiful meadow in the forest, and there are many paths leading to this meadow. It really does not matter which path you take to get there, the important thing is that you get there without harming anyone or anything along the way.” (http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/faq.htm)
Analysis- This quote shows that Wiccans have no problem with any religion and supports whatever you want to believe in. They just want want you you to worship whatever god you as long you are not harming people. This matters because this proves that Wiccans are not the slightest bit intolerant of any religion. This is also a reason why they are growing so quickly. They do not judge people’s past, origin or other factor. They just care if you will respect their religion. In the real world Wiccans are oppressed by Christians. They are often called a cult and other rude group names. They are not a cult, dangerous or evil in any way. They spend their time worshiping to whichever god or goddess they want to worship.
Final Thoughts I felt that I learned a lot about the Wiccan & Buddhist religion and i am really impressed on their views on this topic and happy. This project helped me understand why tolerance is such a huge part in religion. If everyone was religiously intolerant then there would be wars left and right and a great amount of the world’s people would die off.
FUN FACTS
There's No Pagan Dress Code
The 3 major tenants Buddha taught his followers were not to be ignorant, hate others, or get angry.
Wiccans Are Not Satanists
Practicing Buddhists view Buddha as a teacher and not a god or avatar.
There are around 4,200 religions all around the world. People use religion as of means of answers, guidance, hope and many more things but, with all good there are bad things. Between every religion there is always a rivalry causing many disagreements and sometimes “religious wars”. An example would be the “Crusades”. Religion has been dated as far back as 1500 BCE. Religion brings people and countries together but, also separate people as a species. This wiki will submerge into a sea of point of views from and emotions that dated back until the beginning of their religion creation. The two religions I choose were Wicca and Buddhism because of how different they are compared to each other and their views of the world. All of my information will be cited at the end of each paragraphs. Question:
What is the tolerance level of other religions compared between Wicca & Buddhism?
Buddhism
“Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of reality. Buddhist practices like meditation are means of changing yourself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path — a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood. An enlightened being sees the nature of reality absolutely clearly, just as it is, and lives fully and naturally in accordance with that vision. This is the goal of the Buddhist spiritual life, representing the end of suffering for anyone who attains it.”
(https://thebuddhistcentre.com/buddhism)
Quote 1) “... King Ashoka. While a devout Buddhist himself, Asoka wrote this advice to his subjects: "The king honours both the ascetics and lay followers of all religions and he gives them gifts. But the King does not value gifts and honours as much as he values this - that there should be growth in the essentials of all religions. ” (K.N. Jayatillake, The Buddhist Attitude to Other Religions)
Analysis- I felt that this quote meant a variety of things but, from my interpretation is King Ashoka who was the emperor at that time set a standard for Buddhism religious tolerance. When he wrote this he wanted to tell people that him and the followers of Buddhism respect other religions and will not have any form of hatred towards them but, he also says that the follower of the other religion should help you grow as someone spiritually. This matters greatly because because it helped create peace throughout the religion, it home country and it worshipers. Not to say there was always peace but, there was a lot more of it compared to other religions. All around the world younger and younger generations are more accepting of LGBT, Race, Religions and more. As, I eat more and more younger people everyday I learn that they are more accepting than the older generations.
Quote 2) “Religious intolerance has its roots in exclusivity - believing that only one religion can offer salvation and that the only alternative to salvation is hell. The exclusivist can only see other religions as evil i.e. leading to hell, and thus intolerable. While the Buddha clearly taught that Nirvana can be realized only by practicing the Noble Eight-fold Path, he did not believe that the only alternative to this goal was hell.”
(http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/dharmadata/fdd50.htm)
Analysis- In this quote Buddhist worshipers say that religious intolerance is not right. They say talked about Christianity and how their ideal that there is a Heaven & Hell is intolerable and wrong. This matters because this goes against their rule of growth as a human being spirituality. They do not like the fact that if you have done something wrong or against then you are forced to live in an eternity of pain and suffering. In Christianity there are two places that you either go to when die. There is Heaven or Hell. Heaven is for people who lived a “un-sinful” life and Heaven is reward and Hell is for people who have committed “sins” and are punished for eternity. Some people believe in this and some people don’t agree.
Wiccan
“Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or sunset, the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by the first light of day. It is the morning dew on the petals of a beautiful flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your skin, or the warmth of the summer sun on your face. Wicca is the fall of colorful autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow. It is light, and shadow and all that lies in between. It is the song of the birds and other creatures of the wild. It is being in the presence of Mother Earths nature and being humbled in reverence. When we are in the temple of the Lord and Lady, we are not prone to the arrogance of human technology as they touch our souls. To be a Witch is to be a healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things. If this path is yours, may you walk it with honor, light and integrity.” (http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/wicca.htm)
Quote 1) “Witchcraft, overall, is very tolerant of other religious views, and does not engage itself in criticizing the beliefs of other people, providing that their beliefs do not violate the basic tenant of "Harm None." Witches do object to religions that attempt to suppress the religious beliefs of others, or every human's right to seek spirituality in their own way. This is why there is a slight rub between Wiccans, Pagans, Witches, and some Christians.” (http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/faq.htm)
Analysis- This quote tells me that Wicca religion is a very accepting religion. They even say that they prefer not to engage themselves in hatred over other religions. They also give a reason why there is such an antagonism between Wiccan and Christianity. This matters because it shows that they have no hatred towards other religion. They also explains why they are hated so much by the christian community.This relates to the real world because there is so much hatred against the Wiccan community primarily by Christians. There are articles, videos and in some churches class on why Wicca is a bad thing and a “nuisance”.
Quote 2) “Perhaps an over simplified way of describing our view is this: Imagine a beautiful meadow in the forest, and there are many paths leading to this meadow. It really does not matter which path you take to get there, the important thing is that you get there without harming anyone or anything along the way.” (http://wicca.com/celtic/wicca/faq.htm)
Analysis- This quote shows that Wiccans have no problem with any religion and supports whatever you want to believe in. They just want want you you to worship whatever god you as long you are not harming people. This matters because this proves that Wiccans are not the slightest bit intolerant of any religion. This is also a reason why they are growing so quickly. They do not judge people’s past, origin or other factor. They just care if you will respect their religion. In the real world Wiccans are oppressed by Christians. They are often called a cult and other rude group names. They are not a cult, dangerous or evil in any way. They spend their time worshiping to whichever god or goddess they want to worship.
Final Thoughts
I felt that I learned a lot about the Wiccan & Buddhist religion and i am really impressed on their views on this topic and happy. This project helped me understand why tolerance is such a huge part in religion. If everyone was religiously intolerant then there would be wars left and right and a great amount of the world’s people would die off.
FUN FACTS
There's No Pagan Dress Code
Wiccans Are Not Satanists